German Chancellor Says US Remains Germany’s Top NATO Partner

(MENAFN) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says the United States remains and will continue to be Germany’s most important partner within NATO, according to reports.

“We share a common goal: Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons,” he said on the US social media platform X.

His comments come amid growing political tension between Berlin and Washington, following his earlier criticism of the US approach to the Iran conflict and remarks suggesting the US lacked a clear exit strategy.

Merz also confirms on Sunday that the United States will not deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles in Germany for now, stressing that the decision is based on limited US availability rather than political disagreement.

“The Americans don't have enough for themselves right now. Objectively speaking, there is virtually no possibility of the US supplying weapons systems of this kind,” Merz told a public broadcaster.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump says the United States plans to reduce its troop presence in Germany further, following earlier drawdown decisions, as stated by reports.

“We're going to cut way down and we're cutting a lot further than 5,000,” Trump tells reporters in Florida, referring to planned force reductions.

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